BJP ready for 2014 battle, sets up panels for campaigning

New Delhi: The BJP’s highest decision making body- the parliamentary board- on Thursday finalised its plan for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and decided to constitute several committees that will work under the stewardship of party’s poll campaign chief Narendra Modi.

According to reports, the parliamentary board, which also discussed BJP`s strategy for the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning on August 5, decided to allocate more responsibilities to its senior leaders.

Accordingly, BJP general secretaries and other top office bearers will be asked to head these campaign committees that will work in close coordination with Modi.

The members of the Parliamentary Board today discussed the allocation of election campaign responsibilities among its general secretaries and top office-bearers in the run-up to Assembly polls in five states and Lok Sabha polls next year.

Party sources said the committees which will shoulder various aspects of the poll campaign, from rallies and reaching out to the youth to preparation of the manifesto and publicity literature, will be announced tomorrow.

The Parliamentary Board had earlier authorised BJP chief Rajnath Singh and Election Campaign Committee Chief Narendra Modi to form these committees and appoint the members. The views of the Board will be given due respect while finalising the names, sources said.

While election in-charges and campaign heads for the Assembly polls to be held in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi will be appointed, it is unlikely that Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley will head any of them.

However, senior leaders will be involved in the overall campaign to these election-bound states.
Nitin Gadkari has reportedly turned down the offer to head the poll campaign for Delhi as BJP`s prospects are grim and being a former president of the party he feels it is a minor responsibility. Gadkari was keen on getting the charge for Rajasthan.

Eleven committees are likely to be announced tomorrow.

These will deal with conduct of rallies, public meetings; preparation of the manifesto; publicity literature, advertisement and media management; reaching out to various sections of the society- youth, women, professionals, rural and urban voters; campaign through social media; campaign programme of leaders and their travel plans; logistics and so on.

While general secretaries have been given charge of states and organisational responsibilities, the new list is likely to be about their roles and functions.
Singh and Modi will consult the leaders concerned as well as the RSS before coming out with the list tomorrow. An attempt has been made to ensure a collective role for all senior leaders and to ensure that no feathers are ruffled, sources said.

The BJP`s ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has reportedly directed Modi to take along all top party heavyweights in a show of collective leadership.

The Parliamentary Board meeting was chaired by BJP chief Rajnath Singh and it was attended by all senior party leaders including LK Advani, Narendra Modi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu.